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Are nurse bees just nurse bees?

Hello all.

I'm trying to create some splits and am wondering about a few things about making nucs or splits -

Does it matter if I combine nurse bees from different hives into the new nuc whenever I move frames? Not having but 3 hives, I have to sometimes combine frames from different hives to create my nucs and wonder how much it actually matters, to the bees - if they were from the same 'clan/hive' or not? They quickly realize they are queenless and start spending their time doing other things - but wonder if this process creates more stress for the bees or not. I've always smoked them well before combing and have tried to remove most of the nurse bees whenever I add new capped brood.

To increase my population of nurse bees, I've heard it's a good thing to add a frame of brood for a few weeks until the new queen starts laying on her own. Does it matter if I remove the nurse bees whenever I move brood over? I'm letting the nucs build their own queens and know there's a 30+day interval here that I need to keep 'cycling' in new bees and brood.

thanks for any suggestions. Here's a picture of a good cluster I saw last night on a split I did 7 days ago ..

Re: Are nurse bees just nurse bees?

You can combine brood and bees together in nucs or new boxes with a new queen without problems. Forgers go home and the nurse bees and brood stay. You can add brood and bees to a weak hive without problems.

I'll fill a box with brood and bees from 3-4 hives from one yard and take it to another to put them in mating nucs if I'm short.

Re: Are nurse bees just nurse bees?

Seapro, a word of caution about handling queen cells. There are periods of time when the cells are easily ruined by jarring or tipping. As a rule of thumb, always hold the cells in their natural (vertical) position and be as gentle as possible. The critical days are the tenth through the twelfth days after the egg is first laid in the cell. HTH

LeeB
I try to learn from my mistakes, and from yours when you give me a heads up :)

Re: Are nurse bees just nurse bees?

Thanks beedeetee for the answer. I'd thought this was possible given the way packages are put together and as easly as it seems to build up/create new colonies but just wanted some reassurance. I've got 1 hive I made a split from that seems to be doing really well, but the other one isn't and wanted to 'boost' their population up. From what I've come to understand, from reading/following along here in the forums - most people, whenever making splits add a frame of brood each week to boost the colony, and increase their numbers of nurse bees. I'm going to subscribe to this practice from now own.